As the clay courts of Roland Garros fade into the rearview mirror, British tennis star Emma Raducanu is setting her sights on the lush green grass of her homeland, ready to ignite the 2025 grass-court season. The 22-year-old, whose meteoric rise to the 2021 US Open title captivated the world, is gearing up for an ambitious summer campaign, with a quartet of tournaments designed to propel her back toward the WTA’s elite. Currently ranked No. 37 in the live rankings, Raducanu is on the cusp of securing a Wimbledon seeding, a goal that could shield her from early-round clashes with top players. Her upcoming schedule, brimming with opportunity, promises to showcase her resilience and flair as she chases glory on grass.
Raducanu’s grass season kicks off with a debut at the prestigious HSBC Championships at Queen’s Club, a WTA 500 event marking its return to the women’s calendar after a 50-year absence. Scheduled for June 16-22, 2025, this tournament offers a chance to compete on home soil against a formidable field, including six Grand Slam champions like Naomi Osaka, Barbora Krejcikova, and Elena Rybakina. “I’m excited and just itchy to kind of get on the practice court,” Raducanu said after her Billie Jean King Cup heroics in November 2024, where she won all three of her singles matches to help Great Britain reach the semi-finals. Her enthusiasm is palpable, fueled by a renewed sense of purpose following a solid clay season that saw her reach the fourth round of the Italian Open and climb from No. 48 to No. 37 in the rankings.
Next, Raducanu heads to the Berlin Open, a WTA 500 tournament from June 23-29, marking her first appearance at this event. The higher points on offer at these WTA 500 events—double those of the WTA 250 tournaments she played last year—could be pivotal in her quest to crack the top 32 and secure a Wimbledon seeding. Her team, now bolstered by coach Mark Petchey and fitness trainer Yutaka Nakamura, has been fine-tuning her game, with technical adjustments to her serve and racket setup aimed at maximizing her explosive style. “Yutaka adds another dimension to the way Nick and I work—it has become integrated and connected,” Raducanu noted, highlighting how her gym work is translating to on-court improvements.
The Lexus Eastbourne Open, set for June 23-29, follows as Raducanu’s third stop. Last year, she reached the quarter-finals there, notching her first career top-10 win over Jessica Pegula before falling to Daria Kasatkina. “I’m really proud of my performance,” she said after defeating Kasatkina in Strasbourg earlier this year, a victory that snapped a three-match losing streak and showcased her growing confidence. Eastbourne’s star-studded field, including defending Wimbledon champion Krejcikova and 2024 Eastbourne winner Kasatkina, will test Raducanu’s mettle, but her familiarity with the event could give her an edge. Fans are eager to see if she can replicate or surpass her 2024 performance, where she also upset world No. 9 Maria Sakkari at Wimbledon en route to the fourth round.
The crown jewel of Raducanu’s grass season is, of course, Wimbledon, running from June 30 to July 13. The All England Club holds special significance for the former world No. 10, who burst onto the scene with a fourth-round run as a wildcard in 2021. Last year, she matched that feat, defeating Sakkari before falling to qualifier Lulu Sun. With 446 ranking points to defend from her 2024 grass campaign, Raducanu faces pressure but also opportunity. “It just shows, I guess, the distance that I have to improve,” she reflected after her recent 6-1, 6-2 loss to Iga Swiatek at Roland Garros, a match that underscored her hunger to close the gap with the game’s best.
Raducanu’s 2025 season has been a rollercoaster, marked by a strong start at the Australian Open, where she reached the third round, and a standout quarter-final run at the Miami Open, her best WTA 1000 result. Despite setbacks, including a back injury that forced her withdrawal from the Auckland Open and a stalking incident in Dubai that shook her focus, she has shown resilience. Her clay season, highlighted by a fourth-round appearance in Rome, proved she can adapt to challenging surfaces. Now, with a packed grass schedule and a supportive team, Raducanu is poised to make waves. As former British No. 1 Tim Henman observed, “If she can stay healthy and competes a lot, the results will come because she’s that good.” With the tennis world watching, Raducanu’s grass-court odyssey could be the spark that reignites her ascent to the top.
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